To think Tracy Brabin should be able to wear what she wants ?

[Clawdy]

She's been the subject of criticism and vitriol all day about her dress, which she apparently wore to an earlier social event. She's a bright, lively and committed MP, who cares what she wears?

What a load of depressing shite on this thread. Women are our own worst enemies sometimes

Not really. Well yes really but not in this particular context.

Would you be saying the same thing if Boris rocked up in trackie bottoms and a football shirt

Bleugh. He's too fat. A slim toned guy wouldn't look great but could potentially carry it off but not BJ.

This is just utterly bonkers. The posters here would have an absolute conniption if they’d had an interview like I had where I turned up suited and booted and was interviewed by a woman in torn jeans, a sweat shirt and Converse because the place operated dress down Friday.

Brabin was tidy, clean and presentable. It’s a black dress that shows no cleavage and all this fucking nonsense about appropriateness is doing exactly what Tory HQ intends - drawing attention away from her message that Cummings is censoring the media. Well done for falling for it.

that woman is an embarrassment and one of the reason why women struggle so hard to be taken seriously.

of course it's completely inappropriate, and it doesn't help that she looked like a right mess.,

A male MP showing shoulders or knees would be inappropriate too. Let's not be hypocritical and turn it into a gender issue about the rules. SHE is the one showing a completely wrong image, yet again, a mockery of women in business in general.
I honestly cannot stand her type, bored of these idiots bringing us down.

I would find a man wearing a vest just as ridiculous and inappropriate. Posters who pretend otherwise are just hypocritical, of course they know it's just as bad.

Just for balance I think that Johnson usually looks awful (posture and hair ffs 😫) and Corbyns anorak wasn't great.

Where is her long sleeved thermal vest?!
I've been in mine since about September.
She'll catch her death in that outfit, tough Northern woman or not.

I think she should wear what she likes. I can't see how looking at her shoulder has any impact on her ability to do her job.

And I own the same dress - it is lovely to wear.

Well women will not be taken seriously when they are dressed like they are off to the Ritzy

FFS I literally had to Google your actual 1950's reference because that's a cinema.

I feel a wee but sorry her tbh

It wasn't just a bare shoulder though, it was hanging right down & she looked like she was still dressed from a night out the night before

That said, I agree with PPs - the dogs abuse she's been getting is completely disproportionate & beyond awful

It wasn’t “hanging down”, it was off the shoulder as this link shows www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2020/feb/05/why-tracy-brabin-was-right-to-give-sexist-critics-the-cold-shoulder

Anyway Asos has sold out of it so prepare to see it in an office near you very soon!

Attacks were appalling, but it wasn't a work dress.

Alsohuman. The photo you linked clearly shows it hanging down off her shoulder, looks terrible tbh.

Anyway, I’ve no concerns about it being seen in my workplace as everyone I work with is far too professional to show up in that.

Great article Also.

So true about the criticism of, say, Boris. Even if he were criticised for his appearance
a) it never happens on such a grand scale as this e.g. raised by Piers Morgan, national headline news etc, and
b) NEVER is a man's sexuality / sex life brought into it.

Grim, plain old misogyny masquerading as 'standards'.

She was dressed to go to an event and wasn't expecting to have to speak in HoP. Hence the dress.

What would you have her do - refuse to attend a short notice and unexpected HoP session because her shoulder was exposed? It's not as if she was wearing a cut-out bra and bumless trousers. It's a shoulder. It didn't impact on her ability to do her job. Get over it.

@Sickofrain she was attending an event.

Anyway, I’ve no concerns about it being seen in my workplace as everyone I work with is far too professional to show up in that

Do you make a point of going to social events dressed in a suit on the off chance that you'll be called into work, despite not being scheduled to attend?

Oftentimes male MP's turn up to speak / vote in their tuxedos if they have had to pop in last minute via and event. She did the same.

I agree her dress has distracted from what she was actually saying which is one of the reasons why MPs should dress professionally.

It's a plain black dress, I would never have given it a second glance if it weren't for the fact it's made the news (or the abuse she's received because of it has). Utterly pathetic people out there. Beyond sad.

So as a plain black dress you’d think it appropriate to wear to a funeral then, or a job interview?

It's scruffy. Looks as though she hadn't bothered to zip it up

I wouldn't get away with wearing that in Court. I can't begin to imagine what the Judge would say.

Baol. Try looking at the ‘social’ event photos first. You’ll clearly see that she wasn’t actually dressed appropriately for that either so it’s no excuse. Everyone else at that event was in smart/ business casual (probably because it was an afternoon business event) so yes I would have been wearing the same as then and therefore would have been appropriately dressed for work.

Equally I would also have had a jacket or smart cardi anyway so could easily have put that over the top.

I don't think it warranted being called the names I saw being flung at her.

But the dress was in no way appropriate for parliament. It wouldn't be appropriate in most professional workplaces either.

I think it's a shame anybody would have such poor judgement and subsequently detract from what may have been very important or valuable points being made.

It’s not her detracting from the extremely important point she made. It’s all the fucking idiots who can’t see past what a woman’s wearing.

I just feel it was an inappropriate top for that job and the setting where she was for work.
I know I sound old fashioned , but certain types of positions have dress codes and if she had worn a smart jacket over the top of this particular top then it wouldn't have been as eye catching. Strangely enough my husband thinks I'm out of order and she should wear what she wants!
Smart / casual isn't that hard to achieve and most of the other female MP's manage to look smart and comfortable without wearing tops like this , but not too corporate either. There has to be some kind of dress code for a work setting I think and different to when you go out! It also distracted to what she wanted to say.

Her Twitter response was ace!

Well women will not be taken seriously when they are dressed like they are off to the Ritzy.

Bullshit. Just like pretty women can't be smart or that smart women have to be frumpy. It's a stupid outdated stereotype. I omen should be taken seriously if what they say is important,not whether or not they look a certain way.
There's an article by John Lech in support of her that wore trakkies and a Man Unt Tshirt going in the chambers. No outrage,no media backlash,no trolling no name calling. Was he not taken seriously because he looked like he was off to a football game? Of course not.